a very warm welcome to bbc news, with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. my name's mike embley. the uk's prime minister boris johnson is back in downing street, after his own fight against coronavirus, to tell the country now is the moment of maximum risk. i refuse to throw away all of the effort, and the sacrifice of the british people and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. president trump used his first coronavirus news conference since friday to accuse china of failing to stop the spread of the illness. as the number of confirmed global cases passes three million, we compare how different countries are tackling the pandemic. el salvador‘s president cracks

down on criminal gangs in prison as they take advantage of the global health crisis. and stars of broadway celebrate stephen sondheim's 90th birthday with a virual concert. —— 90th birthday with a virtual concert. hello. the british prime minister borisjohnson has urged people not to lose patience with the lockdown. he was speaking outside number 10 for the first time since recovering from coronavirus. mrjohnson warned that britain is at the point of maximum risk and ending social restrictions could quickly put the country at threat of a new wave of disease. president trump used his first coronavirus news conference since friday, to say the us was conducting serious investigations into how china handled the outbreak. after seven weeks of strict lockdown in italy,

some restrictions will be lifted next monday. parks, manufacturing and construction businesses will be the first to reopen, restaurants will be able to serve takeaways. globally, there are now more than three million confirmed coronavirus cases — the true number will be much higher. first our political editor laura kuenssberg reports on borisjohnson‘s return to work. the lectern is kept for major moments — borisjohnson ready to show he's back in residence, not ready to say in detail what's coming next. i want to thank you, the people of this country, for the sheer grit and guts you've shown, and are continuing to show. if this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger — which, i can tell you from personal experience, it is — then this is the moment when we have begun, together, to wrestle it to the floor.

but the thinking in number 10 is that the virus is not yet down and out, and the risk of another more deadly outbreak outweighs immediate concerns over the economy. i understand your impatience. i share your anxiety. a couple of weeks ago, we met the rookes in wolverhampton, who'd almost been enjoying the sunshine of lockdown. but 35 days in, lucy's eager to hear more. we want to start hearing the conversation of what life might look like after lockdown. we're having those conversations every day up—and—down the country, in our living rooms. and i think, if the government think that to have that conversation with us might confuse us, is a bit patronising. i think we need to have some hope. we first met hector woodhouse. .. this is the view from my office window. ..who lives on his own in linlithgow, nearly a month ago. it can be a little bit depressing. yeah, you do feel lonely a bit, because your routine becomes completely different. but you've still got to try and keep a sense of humour. and, by gosh, we're

going to need that! reporter: how's the prime minister, mr hanckock? he's on very good form. if ministers and their scientists continue to see the pace of the disease slow, it's possible there could at least be a plan about the plan by the end of the week. are we past the peak, professor whitty? labour believes they must. what we're seeing is lots of countries now setting out their plan for what happens next. and i don't want the united kingdom to be behind the curve. so, what i'm saying is, set out the principles, let's debate them, and i hope we can all get behind them. thank you all very much. the political could hardly be more personal for this number 10, but the whole country's recovery will lag behind the prime minister's own. laura kuenssberg, bbc news, westminster. president trump held a briefing at the white house, this time in the rose garden. there are almost one million cases of coronavirus in the us

and almost 56,000 deaths. mr trump said there were encouraging signs across the country, and that governors should reopen their states as quickly as possible as long as it was safe to do so. he also made it clear he wasn't happy with china, we are doing very serious investigations, as you probably know, and we are not happy with china, we are not happy with that whole situation, because we believe it could have been stopped at the source, it could have stopped quickly, and it would not have spread all over the world. and we think that should've happened. so we will let you know at the appropriate time but we are doing serious investigations. mr trump hadn't addressed the media for three days, afterfacing ridicule for his suggestion that injecting disinfectant might be a way of treating the virus. the question of disinfectant was raised again at today's briefing. reporter: governor larry hogan specifically said, they have seen a spike in people using disinfectant

after your comments last week. i know you said they were sarcastic... i can't imagine why. i can't imagine why, yeah. do you take any responsibility? no, don't, i can imagine why. i can't imagine it. earlier our north america correspondent peter bowes told me the president seemed to stick to the script more than he has in recent briefings. it was a more subdued president trump. he did not get into it with those reporters challenging him. it was almost as if his advisers had stepped in to say perhaps he should stick to the script somewhat, and that is what he did, at least in the early part of this news conference. he was talking about ramping up testing for the states to eventually help the ocuntry get back to work. so it was a little bit a different president trump but perhaps a surprise to somebody who has given a news conference at all, having over the weekend said that they weren't worth his time and effort. some breaking news on the beaches in la? well, yes, there is a lot of confusion in california more generally.

in los angeles, the issue is that there are different jurisdictions. there's los angeles county. a little bit further north there's ventura county, who have reopened their beaches. los angeles county, they are still close. it is very hot here at the moment. my people are going to the beaches and some are travelling from los angeles to ventura county, meaning that those beaches are becoming quite crowded. the governor of california is concerned about that, and actually suggesting that he might ramp up some of the restrictions, having them being relaxed in certain areas, to try to deal with that situation. because what the authorities do not want — they don't want it anywhere — is people getting out into those beaches and collecting in small groups, as they clearly were this past weekend. wright peter bowes talking about how countries are working out how to lift their lockdowns. trying decide when and how individual countries relax their lockdowns has become the main

talking point for people around the world. so what are the main options for a gradual lifting of the lockdown and what does the experience of other countries tell us? 0ur science editor david shukman has been investigating. week after week, the eerie sight of lockdown, while behind the scenes, governments all over the world desperately try to find a safe way out of it. switzerland has allowed hairdressers to reopen. everyone has to wear a mask. it's a cautious first step. no country is rushing into this. in beijing, secondary schools have started again. there's no sitting close together because, all the time, there's the risk of the virus striking again. everything about what happens next hinges on the rate of infection — what scientists call the r number. at the height of the outbreak in the uk, it was about three, meaning anyone infected was passing it onto, on average, three others, so the outbreak was accelerating. since then, restrictions have driven that rate right down to something like 0.7. that's only a rough estimate but, crucially, it's below the level of one.

at that point, anyone infected only infects one other person, meaning that there's no escalation in the outbreak. but look what happens if you relax the lockdown. suddenly, the rate jumps right back up again, risking a second wave of infections. an essential first move to get out of this is testing for the virus. in germany, teams are out checking who's had the infection and who's got it right now. the aim is to quickly spot new outbreaks — a difficultjob, even in countries that have done really well, like new zealand. to succeed, we must hunt down the last few cases of the virus. this is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and we need your help to finish the job we have started. the next vital move is tracing the contacts of anyone infected. in china, a small army was drafted in to follow up anyone who might have caught the virus. there's a plan for 18,000

people to do the same in the uk. also, to use apps to help with the task. and if it all works, it'll make it easier to relax the lockdown. if an app comes along, it's important the public are part of that, because it won't work and be effective unless lots of us use it, and it requires the government to communicate with us and tell us what their plan is and what we need to do to help with this. and if contact tracing finds more infected people, then they'll have to self—isolate. patience may wear thin if this drags on into next year, but the alternative is maintaining the entire national lockdown. we have really two choices as a country — either we can all be locked down all the time to make sure there isn't infection spread or we can just lock ourselves down for the much shorter periods of time where we may have been in contact with the infection. whatever happens, we all face a new kind of normality. in a hospital in greece, a birthday cake delivered

in full protective equipment. lockdowns will eventually be relaxed, but that won't happen quickly. david shukman, bbc news. it's 7 weeks since italy announced a lockdown — but from next monday some restrictions will be lifted. parks, manufacturing and construction businesses will be the first to reopen — restaurants will also be able to serve takeaways — and people allowed to exercise outdoors. 0ur rome correspondent mark lowen has been speaking to businesses about their plans for the weeks ahead. for 30 years, they've been cooking up italian classics in family—run ripa 12. for seven weeks, it's been delivery only. but from next monday, they can offer takeaway too, as the world's first national lockdown of the pandemic starts to ease. phone rings. pronto, ripa12. there'll be strict rules on hygiene and numbers. but for the owner's daughter, it's welcome. translation: on one hand, it's a relief because we're overcoming the emergency stage of the outbreak

and can see a glimmer of hope. but on the other, we're full of sorrow because it won't be a simple return to normality. the lockdown has had a catastrophic impact. it's been the sacrifice of a lifetime to build our restaurant. we can reopen, but many won't. as italy starts to unlock, parks too will open up and outdoor exercise will be allowed. a breath of fresh air for veronica and her 11—year—old son, tito. "i'm happy i'll be able to play inside," he says, "and i'm looking forward to feeding the ducks." movement too will be eased. the police checks will remain, but people will be allowed to travel within their own region and to visit relatives, with face masks. a taste of freedom, for a nation that's endured such suffering. this is a road map to reopening, by a government keen to show italians that their sacrifices are paying off. italy's national lockdown

came exactly two weeks before that of britain. the authorities here feel that people now deserve to see a way out so that patience doesn't fray. but psychologists say it is already. professor giampaolo nicolais talks to his students about the impact on families. with schools shut till september, and children feeling their parents' stress and fear, he's seeing many new patients. are you worried that this could be something long—term? i think so. these symptoms, we know from experience that may happen and be manifest in the moment, but also may come out months later. we can have delayed reactions. and while small funerals can resume, church services can't. the clergy says that goes against freedom of religion. the lockdown has been italy's salvation. lifting it is a risk but also an attempt to show this country it will recover, one day. mark lowen, bbc news, rome.

stay with us on bbc news, still to come: the big stars of broadwayjoin together to mark the 90th birthday of legendary composer — stephen sondheim. nothing, it seemed, was too big to withstand the force of the tornado. the extent of the devastation will lead to renewed calls for government help to build better housing. internationally, there have already been protests. sweden says it received no warning of the accident. indeed, the russians at first denied anything had gone wrong. only when radioactivity levels began to increase outside russia were they forced to admit the accident. for the mujahideen, the mood here is of great celebration. this is the end of a 12—year war for them, they've taken the capital, which they've been fighting for for so long.

it was 7:00 in the morning, the day when power began to pass on the minority to the majority, when africa, after 300 years, reclaimed its last white colony. this is bbc news, the latest headlines: the uk's prime minister boris johnson is back in downing street — he said his priority was to prevent a second outbreak. president trump has used his first coronavirus news conference since friday to accuse china of failing to stop the spread of the illness. el salvador‘s president has said criminal gangs are taking advantage of the pandemic. at least 50 people have been killed in three days of violence in the tiny central american country. president nayib bukele has

warned on twitter that "the gang members who committed these murders are going to regret that decision their entire lives". he's authorised the police and army to use lethal force. and he's told prison guards to do this: transfer members of rival gangs from their own cells together into a jailhouse. this video was released by the government. there are more than 12,000 gang members inside el salvador‘s jails. putting rival members together is supposed to limit their ability to plan attacks. live now to the crisis group's central america analyst, tiziano breda. good to talk to you and thank you for your time. this is a president who is pushed very ha rd president who is pushed very hard line on reducing crime any means necessary, hasn't he? i think homicides were way down before the pandemic, won't they? absolutely, and thank you for the invitation, it's a pleasure to be here. since nayib bukele took the presidency of the country

actually the homicide rate went down by 60% and the decrees, i mean it was already previous to nayib bukele's administration, it reached the senate in 2015 the homicide rate of 103 murders per 100,000 in evidence but the decrease has been particularly stark during the pandemic, over the past two months, the daily average of homicides was about to point something, 2.3, 2.4 which was a historical low for a country which up to five years ago experienced 20—25 homicides per day. tiziano, within the jails, the pictures we are seeking here, there are all kinds of reasons for what he's doing, what's being done by these guards but in a time of social distancing and self isolation, these pictures raise all kind of alarm bells, especially the

ones you will see in a moment where the prisoners are rammed together. absolutely. the levels of overcrowding of the prisons which basically el salvador is the second country in the world for per capita basically inmate populations, make it very difficult already to really create the space, the social distancing space needed to avoid the spread of the coronavirus in the case of an outbreak which would be definitely devastating in the case of albert ——el salvador prisons but that's not the first time bukele implemented 01’ first time bukele implemented or engaged in these mediated showdown of strength towards the gangs, particulate —— particularly to those detained, gang members, and he's responded basically to the need to ta ke responded basically to the need to take a solution or an initiative to counter this uptick in homicides that the country met over the weekend,

as you rightly referred to. just briefly view don't mind, i guess the point of the government issuing this busy —— video is actually to send a message to the gangs to the public, to the voters. absolutely, and that is true. in el salvador you have a tendency or trend in the public opinion to support quite starkly the application of heavy tough law enforcement measures against gang members because there is a widespread hatred and stigma towards them, actually. thank you very much. thank you for the invitation, have a nice evening. let's get some of the day's other news. the world health organisation has warned that covid—19, coronavirus, is disrupting normal health services, particularly immunisation for the poorest children. the who's director—general said there were reports of shortages of vaccines against other diseases such as polio and cholera. the collapse in demand for oil because of the pandemic has sent prices plummeting again. the us benchmark,

west texas intermediate, tumbled by twenty five percent, to below thirteen dollars a barrel. —— $13. the crisis has been made worse by a lack of storage space for oil. sweden's bars and restaurants are facing huge falls in business, despite being allowed to remain open during the pandemic. the country's business minister, ibrahim baylan, told the bbc that venues in some parts of stockholm had seen a drop in demand of up to 90%. but in recent days, a number of venues have been closed for allowing overcrowding. repairs on france's iconic notre—dame cathedral have restarted despite the lockdown. france's president macron had promised to restore the cathedral within five years after a fire destroyed its medieval roof and spire last year, but left the rest of the building intact. workers returned to the site on monday while maintaining social distancing rules. violent clashes have broken out in northern lebanon this evening, where residents are aggravated by the worsening economic crisis and extreme poverty — which have been

exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. it follows 24 hours of sporadic protests across the country, which organisers say is a sign of what's to come. freya cole reports. fiery protest return to the streets of lebanon despite a coronavirus curfew. this unverified video shows chaos unfolding in tripoli, in the country's north. shops have been set alight by dozens as anti—government protesters. human rights watch is closely monitoring the developing situation and has confirmed at least a dozen people have been injured. the videos that are emerging, particularly from tripoli this evening, are incredibly disturbing. most people haven't made an income in at least a month and so people are getting more and more desperate. earlier in the

day, protests broke out in other major cities across lebanon. burning tires blocked highways and hundreds of people took to the streets, defying government orders to stay at home to stop the spread of disease. transmack i home to stop the spread of disease. transmackl am home to stop the spread of disease. transmack i am afraid of coronavirus and i am afraid of coronavirus and i am afraid of hunger. scared for my pa rents of hunger. scared for my parents and for my sins. i don't know what to be afraid of thirst anymore. the coronavirus lockdown in lebanon has exacerbated the country's long—standing economic crisis. the stricter measures have helped curb new cases of the virus but the local currency has crashed in food prices have soared. the resurgence in street violence comes six months since the anti—government movement first took hold in lebanon and although there has been a short reprieve, organisers say they won't stay silent any longer.

freya cole, bbc news. many famous musicians are taking to social media for informal online performances during the coronavirus lockdown — with just their living rooms as a backdrop — and sometimes a few technical glitches along the way. in the latest — actors meryl streep, neil patrick harris and other stars of broadway have come together for an online charity concert to mark the 90th birthday of legendary composer stephen sondheim. reged ahmad reports. # dinosaurs surviving the crunch # let's hear it for the ladies who lunch...# meryl streep, christine baranski, and audra mcdonald. pouring themselves a drink and singing a raucous rendition of the ladies who lunch from one of stephen sondheim's famous broadway musicals. happy birthday, steve! happy anniversary, steve! # i want to know how to get through...# just a few days after a few of the broadway stars and actors take part in this virtual charity concert, the idea to raise money and belatedly marked stephen sondheim's 90th birthday by singing some of his back catalogue.

how was i to know what your father had also hidden... neil patrick harris, and his childrenjoined others too — singing songs from another sondheim musicalfavourite for many — into the woods. musical theatre enthusiasts will recognise stephen sondheim as a legend of the genre, composing the music and lyrics of many broadway staples. the stars in this latest concert follow a growing line of singers who performed from their homes. 0pera star andrea bocelli has streamed a concert online too. his easter sunday performance from an empty milan cathedral during lockdown has been watched by millions. # where are the clowns?

# send in the clowns...# as the pandemic keeps the entertainment industry in hiatus, these events look like they become a staple of life in lockdown. reged ahmad, bbc news. if you normally look forward to opening a few cards on your birthday, spare a thought for captain tom moore. (ff gfx)the 99—year—old war veteran, who has raised 29 million pounds for nhs charities, has received more than 120,000 cards ahead of his 100th birthday on thursday. the cards — which have thankfully been opened by a team of volunteers — have filled the hall of the school captain tom's grandson attends. you can find much more on our on website including statistics on the coronavirus — that's all at bbc.com/news — or download the bbc news app. and you can get in touch with me and most of the team

on twitter — i'm @bbc mike embley. hello. april thus far, for the most part, has been marked by dry, warm, and sunny days but the forthcoming week brings something completely different as we close out the month. significant spells of rain — it will generally speaking feel a wee bit cooler, too. but at least the pollen levels will be reduced from the sort of levels we've seen of late. eventually we will be looking towards the atlantic for our weather but in the short term it is coming at us from the near continent and across the channel. certainly as we start the new day on tuesday, there will already be cloud and ran across the southern counties of england and wales, relatively mild her underneath clearer skies across the north—east of scotland, maybe with a touch of frost with temperatures below zero. up to dry and bright to start with across the northern half

of the british isles, showers developing across scotland and northern ireland and the north of england but further south, notice how dark some of those blues are. it will be quite a wet day and the temperature suffering as a consequence, eight, nine or ten underneath all that rain. and it will be really quite wet — ten, 15, possibly 20 mm of rain which eventually will drag its way away from the eastern side of the british isles but come wednesday, we will be looking towards the atlantic to see another belt of rain after a dry enough to start, the rain eventually moving through the south west of england, wales, into northern ireland, on towards the midlands to the south—east of england. in fact, many areas seeing rain before the day is done except perhaps the central and northern parts of scotland, maybe a parting shower here but essentially it is much drier. come thursday another pulse of rain will be working its way in on the southern flank of that low. the position of the low itself open to a little bit of interpretation just at the moment

but if it comes a little bit further north, there's some really quite strong winds that will push in across southern parts of both england and wales and down towards the channel islands. another fairly unsettled day for england and wales. for scotland and northern ireland, it is much drier with some sunshine until later on where we push the rain into the northern isles. by friday, that low pressure is moved away but again there is the chance of pretty hefty showers coming into northern ireland, wales, the south west of england, some rain further north in scotland and perhaps something drier through central and eastern areas with the temperatures just trying to recover. by next weekend it will stay showering and pretty cool, too.

this is bbc news, the headlines:

britain's prime minister boris johnson is back at work after recovering from coronavirus. he says there are "real signs" that the country is passing through the peak of the pandemic. he warned that lifting the restrictions too soon could lead to a new wave of deaths. president trump has said china could have stopped the coronavirus from spreading around the world, and that serious investigations are under way into beijing's actions. mr trump was speaking outside the white house in his first briefing since friday. he also announced plans to increase testing. el salvador‘s president has ordered officials to adopt tough new measure as criminal gangs seek to take advantage of the pandemic. more than 50 people have been killed in three days of violence in the tiny central american country. nearly half of the deaths were reported on friday.